Make way for Retrodal, Preprexa and Preoquel

Make way for Retrodal, Preprexa and PreoquelJ&J is smarter than it sometimes lets on. As reported earlier (Clarinex, Nexium, Nexperdal?), the company isn't testing its 'new and improved' anti-psychotic, paliperidone against its soon-to-go-generic blockbuster Risperdal, because despite the hype there's no reason to think paliperidone is better.They're also not testing paliperidone against older drugs, and here's one reason why. From The Washington Post (In Antipsychotics, Newer Isn't Better), subtitled --in an apparent attempt to be even more dramatic than the New York Times-- "Drug Find Shocks Researchers" says:

Schizophrenia patients do as well, or perhaps even better, on older psychiatric drugs compared with newer and far costlier medications, according to a study published yesterday that overturns conventional wisdom about antipsychotic drugs, which cost the United States $10 billion a year.The results are causing consternation. The researchers who conducted the trial were so certain they would find exactly the opposite that they went back to make sure the research data had not been recorded backward..."The claims of superiority for the [newer drugs] were greatly exaggerated," wrote Columbia University psychiatrist Jeffrey Lieberman. "This may have been encouraged by an overly expectant community of clinicians and patients eager to believe in the power of new medications. At the same time, the aggressive marketing of these drugs may have contributed to this enhanced perception of their effectiveness in the absence of empirical information."

How long until someone dresses up one of the old drugs in a new formulation and demonstrates superiority over the newer classes?Move over Risperdal, Zyprexa, and Seroquel. Make way for Retrodal, Preprexa and Preoquel!And yes, Virginia it turns out there already is a Desperal, but still no Nexperdal or Ripofferdal.